Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SYRACUSE — Wawasee School Board reorganized for the new year and approved a series of financial, personnel and instructional items during its regular meeting Tuesday, while also hearing updates on teacher grants and potential education legislation.
The meeting marked the board’s first regular session of 2026 and included the annual election of officers.
Andy Cripe was elected board president, with Don Bokhart named vice president and Steve Baut appointed secretary. The board also approved organizational recommendations from Superintendent Dr. Steve Troyer, including the district’s meeting schedule and board compensation, which remains capped at $6,000 annually.
During “good news” presentations, Troyer recognized midyear retirees Sarah Bauer, a corporation nurse who served 13 years, and Syracuse Elementary fourth-grade teacher Dawn Yoder, who retired after 23 years.
The board also acknowledged the Wawasee High School girls basketball program for an IHSAA exemplary report on sportsmanship, along with multiple donations supporting district programs.
Syracuse Elementary School Principal Karen Brock addressed the board to highlight community efforts to support local families during the holiday season. Brock said donations from businesses, churches, school groups and community members allowed the school to provide Thanksgiving meals to 29 families and Christmas assistance to 45 families, including clothing, toys and family gift items.
She said Syracuse Elementary had launched a new initiative over winter break to provide food boxes to 30 additional families, funded through donated monetary gifts. Brock credited the school's office staff for coordinating the effort.
"So thank you to the community, thank you for your generosity and your support of our in-need students," she said.
In patron comments, resident Alex Wild raised concerns about payroll documentation and transparency, asking the board to consider an external audit of payroll systems. Wild said limited detail on pay stubs can create challenges for hourly employees and those seeking loans or verifying benefits.
“When you’re going to get a loan and you’re a non-salaried employee, the gross is different. (But) hours are all the same. And so when they come and ask the payroll clerk for more detail, it’s not happening,” Wild explained.
Troyer’s superintendent’s report focused in part on changes to the state-funded Teacher Achievement Grant, formerly the Teacher Appreciation Grant. He said legislative revisions now make the program strictly performance-based and limit eligibility to about 18% of teachers annually. To distribute funds more evenly, the district plans to use only Tier 1 stipends of $3,500 and rotate eligibility over multiple years.
“This does not impact base salary, evaluations or employment status,” Troyer said, adding the grant is not a reflection of overall teacher value, but a compliance-driven program mandated by state law.
Troyer also updated the board on the current Indiana legislative session, noting proposals that could restrict student cell phone use for the entire school day.
“How might that measure affect staff?” Bokhart asked.
Troyer said while middle school restrictions are already in place, expanded rules at the high school level has seen some parent backlash - while other parents, he said, might not be aware of the measures being proposed at all.
The board then approved a series of grouped and additional action items, including personnel recommendations, payroll and claims, and December financial reports. Troyer reviewed year-end financials, explaining the education fund closed the year at slightly more than 100% utilization due to early-year enrollment declines that reduced revenue. He said corrective staff reductions and restructuring implemented later in the year stabilized spending patterns for the upcoming budget cycle.
“We lost more than 100 students in a short period due to a large graduating class and a smaller incoming kindergarten,” Troyer said, adding spending controls are now fully in place for the 2026 fiscal year.
Board members also approved updated non-certified base wage starting rates, a revised high school English language arts curriculum list that had previously been omitted from formal approval, an expanded agreement with the Bashor Alternative Program to serve additional students, and a continuation of the INcompassing contract to provide special education support services.
An out-of-state trip for Wawasee Middle School band students to Sandusky, Ohio, in May 2026 was approved.
Immediately following the regular meeting, the board convened as the district’s finance committee. Members elected officers, reviewed the district’s investment policy and approved designated financial depositories.
Troyer presented the annual Distressed Unit Appeal Board report, which showed gradual enrollment decline but stable fund balances and long-term financial indicators.
The Wawasee School Board meets at 5:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the Wawasee Professional Learning Center.
